Automobile frame



March 19, 1940. E. ALMDALE 2,194,349

' AUTOMOBILE FRAME Original Filed Oct. 15, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR M44! #7070444 'WQ 2% ATTORNEY March 19, 1940. E. ALMD ALE 2,194,349

AUTOMOBILE FRAME Original Filed Oct. 15, 1935 ZSheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 19.? fi/MO/ME ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 19, 1940 I I 194 UNITED STATES PATENTQOFIFICE Einar Almdale, Detroit, Mich, assignor to The.

v,Midland Steel Products Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application October 15, 1935, Serial No. 45,065

1 Renewed February 13, 1939 8 Claims. (Cl. 289-106) This invention relates to new and useful ,imcomplementary flanges of channel sections H movements in automobile frames, and an imand l2 extend toward each other and are adapted portan-t object of the invention is to provide, to be joined together as iudicatedat l9 and 89,

. during the blanking of side rails,means whereby preferably by butt weldingthe longitudinal edges cross members can be readily connected with the of the flanges together whereby the'web portions 5 side rails after the latter have been formed in are spaced apart to form a box section. closed box section. In order to weld a relatively heavy gauge Another important object of the invention is to cross member iii to the side rail It, the inner, provide means for connecting transversely exweb portion it is punched out to form an open- 10 tending cross members to the side rails or longiing 82, the defining walls of which terminate in 10 tudinally extending members, including struca flange 83 extending outwardly of the side rail ture wherein stress will be reduced or eiiminated It, and is butt welded to the adjacent extreme from the welded portions. end of thecross member 8! from the outer pe- A further object of the invention is to proriphery thereof to approximately the center of y 151 vide the connected side rails and cross members the wall 84 of the cross member Bl. Since the 153 with suitable complementary welding areas to gauge of the flange 83 is approximately one-half effect proper distribution of heat therebetween of the gaug of the Cross fi t e f a e during the welding operations. 83 will be coincident with about one-half of Other objects and advantages of the invention the thickness of the wall 84 of the cross member will become apparent during the course of the 8!. The outer web portion 13 is also provided 2 following description. with an opening 85 defined by an annular flange.

In the, accompanying drawings forming a part 35 extending obliquely and inwardly oi the side of this application and wherein like numerals rail 10. v 1 are employed. todesignate like parts throughout A stress transmittin member 18 serted the several views: t in the side rail it through the openings 85 and 82, 25 .Figyi is a fragmentary plan view of an emand is of tapered and polygonal cross section as bodiment of the invention showing portions ofrespectively indicated at 9i and 92. The tapered a side rail and cross member, section 9i terminates in an annular flange 93 Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view which overlaps the outer, surface of the outer web 3.0 of Fig. .1, portion 13 and is suitably welded thereto, as. by

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view projection welding, and the tapered section 9!.

of a modified form of the embodiment shown adjacent the flange 93 also bears against the anin Fig. l, nular flange 86 of the opening 85 and can be.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of another welded to the flanges 8t ifso desired.

embodiment of the invention, showing portions The extreme end of the polygonal section 92 is 5 of a side rail and cross member, disposed in abutment with the remaining ex- Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical-sectional view posed end surface of the cross member 8| and is of Fig. 4, butt welded thereto. The outwardly extend- Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view ing. flange 83 of the opening 82 bears against thev 40 of a modified form of the embodiment shown in polygonal surface of the member 99' and is herein Fig. l, I shown secured together by projection welding.

Figs. '7 and 8 are respe y e t y p a A method of welding the frame elements to-- and vertical sectional views of another embodig'ether may comprise projection welding the an-- ment of the inventtion, and nular flange 93 to the outer web portion 13 as Fig. 9 is a perspective view of an automobile shown at 9 1, then butt welding the longitudinal 45 frame illustrating some of the embodiments edges of. the inner and outer channel sections, as. shown in the foregoing figuresindicated at it and so, projection'welding the Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, j the numeral 19 member 973 and outwardly extending flange 83 as designates a portion of a closed box section side shown at 96, and finally butt welding the cross rail, herein shown as comprising oppositely facmember 8! to the member 96] and flange 83 as ing complementary channel sections H and 12, shown at 9i. These steps of'welding need not be the outer channel it having a web portion 13, completed separately but may be combined, foran upper flange l4 and a lower flange l5; and the example, the butt welds 19 and 8.9, and proinner channel section 12 havinga webportionl6, jection welds 99 may be performed; at the same an upper flange TI and a lower flange- 1 8 The time. 1

The portion of the frame shown in Fig. 3 is generally similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 with the exception of the configuration of the stress transmitting member I which extends member I81.

hates at one end in an annular flange I02 formed. in one operation.

transversely through a side rail WI and herein shown at H33 as projection welded to the side rail IN, and its'opposite end I99 is reduced and is shown at I05 as projection welded to an annular flange I96 of side rail I 0|. The extreme ends of the annular flange Hi8 and the reduced end I04 are butt welded to a transverse cross member I01, and the combined gauges of the member I 04 and flange I86 equal the gauge of the cross member I01. In order to prevent distortion in the metallic structure of the frame during the welding of the same due to the high welding pressures and heat, I have provided the stress transmitting member I00 with a shoulder I I0 which intimately bears against the'side rail Ifil as shown at III. This construction bears the brunt of the welding pressures and also reduces the stress on the welded portions.

Referring to' Figs.'4 and 5, the numeral 549 designates a closed box section side rail having inner and outer channel sections MI and I42 butt welded together as shown at M3. The outer channel section I42 is provided with an opening I44 defined by an inwardly turned annular flange M5, and the inner channel section I4I has an opening I as defined by an outwardly extending annular flange 41 which is butt welded as shown at M9 to the extreme end of a relatively heavy gauge transverse cross member M8.

It will be noted that the gauge of the flange I41 is approximately one-half that of the cross member M8, and that the flange I 41 is Welded to substantially half the thickness of the cross member hi8.

I A stress transmitting member E50 extends transversely through the side rail I 40 and one end thereof is butt welded, as shown at I56, to the inwardly extending flange I45, and the other extreme end is, butt welded as indicated at I52 to the remaining exposed end surface of the cross member M8.

The portion of the frame shown in Fig. 6 is generally similar to the construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5. As shown in this embodiment the side rail I60 comprises inner and outer channel sections I6 I and i2 butt welded together as shown at I53. The inner channel section I6I is provided with an opening I64 defined by an outwardly extending flange M5 butt welded, as shown at M6, to one half of the thickness of the end wall of a cross member I61. The outer channel section I62 is provided with an opening I58 considerably smaller than the opening I64 and is defined by an inwardly turned flange I09.

A stress transmitting member I10 is disposed transversely through the side rail I69 and has an enlarged section I1! and a reduced section I12, the extreme end of the latter being butt welded, as shown at I13, to the flange I69 and the enlarged section I being butt welded as indicated at I14 to the remaining uncovered surface of the cross The opening 468 is smaller than the opening I54 to effect a proper distribution of the welding heat if the welds indicated at I 53 and I13 are per- The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 comprises a'box' section side rail I having inner and outer channel sections I8I and termi- I82 butt welded together as shown at I83. The inner channel section is provided with an opening I84 defined by an outwardly extending flange I85 to which is butt welded as shown at I86, the extreme end of a transverse cross member I81. J'acent the extreme end of the cross member I81 and disposed concentrically and inwardly with.

respect thereto is a spacer I which is suitably strip welded as shown at I 89' to the cross member I81.

The outer channel section I82 is also provided with an opening I9I defined by an inwardly disposed flange I92 the extreme end of which is butt welded as shown at I94 to an extreme end of a stresstransmitting member I93, the other end of the latter being butt welded to the spacer I90 as indicated at I95.

By employing the spacer I90 the gauge of' the cross member I 81 can be relatively light, since the spacer I90 reduces the stresses on the welded portions at the. end of the cross member I81; and

in conjunction with the stress transmitting mem I ber I93 the torsional stresses are transmitted away from the cross member I 81 to the four walls of the side rail I80.

Fig. 9 illustrates a frame employing some of the embodiments hereinbefore' described. The side rails 200 are of hollow section of any desired construction, here shown as an inverted channel with a flat closing strip secured to the oppositely extending flanges thereof. The cross members 2! embody the features shown in a divisional application Serial No. 222,672 filed August 2, 1938;

cross members 202 illustrate the embodiment shown in Figs. 4 through 8; illustrates the application shown in Figs. 2 and 3. However, I do not limit the invention to the type of cross member at any particular location in the frame as the above is by way of example only, and the cross members may be interchanged according to requirements.

It will be understood rangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from'the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an automobile frame, aside rail of closed box-section having spaced apart inner and outer walls of relatively light gauge material, said inner wall having a flange, a cross member of relatively heavy gauge material, said flange being welded to means extending transversely through the outer wall of said side rail and having its inner end thereof welded to the remaining uncovered end portion of said cross-member and having its outer encll extended through and welded to said outer wa l.

2. In an automobile frame, a side rail having spaced apart inner and outer side walls, each of said walls having a flange of'relatively lightgauge material, a cross member having an end substantially twice the thickness of said flange, said inner wall flange being welded to one end of said cross member and covering a portion of the same, and stress transmitting means extending transversely through said side rail and having one end thereof welded to the remaining uncovered end portion of said crossmember and having its opposite end aligned withand butt welded to said outer wall flange.

spaced apart inner and outer side walls, said inner wall having a flange of relatively light gauge material, a cross member having an end of substantially the same gauge as said flange and welded thereto, means for increasing the gauge ofsaid cross member at said end, andstress transmitting means extending transversely through said side rail and welded to said gauge increasing means and to said outer side wall.

' 4. In an automobile frame,

spaced apart inner and outer side walls, a cross member welded to said inner wall, and means disposed transversely of each side rail and welded to said cross member and said outer wall, and said means having a pair of shoulders abutting against the inner and-outer walls.

5. In an automobile'frame, a side rail having spaced apart inner and outer side walls, and a tube having aflange at one end welded to the outer face of the outer wall and a shoulder adjacent the other end abutting the innerwall.

6L1Inan automobile frame, a tubular side rail having spaced apart inner and outer side walls, a

cross member weldedto said inner wall, and a tube having. a flange at one end welded to the a side rail "having outer face of the outer wall and its inner end being in substantial" alignment with the cross member.

'7. In an automobile spaced apart inner and outer side walls, having registering apertures, a cross member for the frame welded to said inner wall around the aperture therein, and a tubular member having one end Welded to the exterior Wall around the aperturetherein and extended through said aperture to the inside of the rail with its other end extending through the aperture in, the inner wall and Welded to said cross member.

8. In an automobile frame, a side rail having spaced apart inner and outer side walls provided with registering apertures, a cross member welded to said'inner wall around said aperture, and a tubular member separate from the cross member secured to said outer wall around the aperture therein and having its other end provided with a shoulder abutting against said inner wall, and said shouldered end of said member extending through the aperture in the inner wall and welded to said frame, a side rail having face of said outer side 

